Advancements in display technology, including the development of plasma display panels (PDPs) and plasma addressed liquid crystal (PALC) displays, have led to an interest in forming electrically-insulating barrier ribs on glass substrates. The barrier ribs separate cells in which an inert gas can be excited by an electric field applied between opposing electrodes. The gas discharge emits ultraviolet (UV) radiation within the cell. In the case of PDPs, the interior of the cell is coated with a phosphor that gives off red, green, or blue visible light when excited by UV radiation. The size of the cells determines the size of the picture elements (pixels) in the display. PDPs and PALC displays can be used, for example, as the displays for high definition televisions (HDTV) or other digital electronic display devices.
One way barrier ribs can be formed on glass substrates is by direct molding. This has involved laminating a mold onto a substrate with a glass- or ceramic-forming composition disposed therebetween. The glass or ceramic-forming composition is then solidified and the mold is removed. Finally, the barrier ribs are fused or sintered by firing at a temperature of about 550° C. to about 1600° C. The glass- or ceramic-forming composition has micrometer-sized particles of glass frit dispersed in an organic binder. The use of an organic binder allows barrier ribs to be solidified in a green state so that firing fuses the glass particles in position on the substrate.
The mold for producing the barrier ribs may be a flexible mold. The flexible mold may comprise a support and a shape-imparting layer comprising the reaction product of at least one urethane acrylate oligomer and at least one (meth)acryl monomer as described PCT Publication No. WO2005/021260. The flexible mold may be produced from a transfer mold having substantially the same microstructured pattern as the eventual barrier ribs.
Although various transfer molds and flexible molds suitable for use in the molding of barrier ribs have been described, industry would find advantage in new methods and molds.